doesn't mean you have to forget
Jun. 27th, 2008 03:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ink_splotchWent to see Prince Caspian yesterday. Apparently I am not subtle in my glee. Also terrible at being quiet - it kind of makes me wonder whether there's anything wrong with my ears. However, that is not the point. The point is:
It was so good. I say this as someone who has a lot of affection for the books (A LOT, okay? I am in many ways a product of a quintessentially English childhood, and particularly The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was hugely important to me as a child. I must have read and had it read to me at least 10 times before I even moved back to Denmark). However, I also kind of see them as - not simple, but they are children's books, and for whatever reason - because they are children's books, because C.S.Lewis didn't consider it - the books don't really deal with life after Narnia. And the movie does.
And it does it well, from the first scene of Susan reading a magazine and getting attention from a boy, to Peter's fights and his arrogance, to Lucy and Edmund's acceptance. Edmund's "Well, I am a child," kind of encapsulates this for me. Lucy and Edmund are still children in so many ways, and so their faith hasn't changed. But Peter misses his power, his authority and Susan doesn't know how to cope with herself and how she's changing, and the movies deals with it - even going so far as to have Susan ambivalent about returning to Narnia.
But that comes later, and the first few moments of return to Narnia are so, so glorious. The sun and the sea and the happiness of the Pevensies, it was all perfect, and gleeful and full of joy.
However, I think, for all that, the movie was mostly about loss - about the loss of time, the loss of faith and, at the end, the loss of Narnia for Peter and Susan. Edmund and Lucy didn't feature as heavily as the older two, I think, because they've kept faith. Lucy and Edmund don't despair and because of that, the whole thing is less sad for them (that, and of course, I know they come back for Voyage of the Dawn Treader). Which made for really good character development, which was really what the whole thing was all about for me.
Edmund, particularly, made me happy. Edmund the JUST! I was so happy when he stopped the temptation by the White Witch - the look on his face when he said "I know" just made the entire scene for me. And I like how he trusted Lucy, even when the older two didn't. Also, the reading of the challenge in Miraz's tent was funny and sweet and, Oh Edmund.
I also adored that they kept Edmund and Peter's bond - not just in the sense that Peter and Edmund still squabbled, but also in the sense that Edmund really does look up to Peter, even though Peter is flawed and stupid and a little self-centered in this. I loved the scene during the sword fight when Peter tried to say goodbye and Edmund was having none of it. It's a standard scene, but the way it was played out was excellent - Edmund acknowledging that, for all his brother's faults, he is still a hero in Ed's eyes.
Peter was also well done in this, even if he is a git for most of the film. It was so understandable, and well-played, and his desire for the old days, for authority, never got in the way of his basic characteristic: he was still a big brother, first and foremost.
His rivalry with Caspian was brilliant as well - so similar, stupid boys. Caspian was awesome, as expected, and his accent was oddly hot, which was unexpected. As was the romantic subplot between him and Susan, but on the whole, I liked it. More so for Susan than Caspian, if I'm honest - it fits with my understanding of her growing up and trying to adjust to her new feelings and trying to find something redeeming in this. And I can see her rationalizing her feelings for/reaction to Caspian as her melding growing-up with her Narnian identity.
Except, of course, it doesn't work like that, DOES IT C.S. LEWIS? Which makes me so sad, because Susan has become my favourite character, particularly the way she was treated here, almost not wanting to believe, because it was too painful. And I...I don't get that, of course, that's silly, but I sympathize with her issues with belief and the split between her child-self and her adult-self, as well as her Narnian-self and her English-self. The movie deals with Susan well, showing her questioning in a sympathetic light, even if it runs counter to the message overall (which is: Lucy is awesome and can conjure up lions. What? That was totally what I got).
Finally, of course, Lucy. Lucy is awesome. Lucy was exactly how I wanted Lucy to be - confident and strong and part of Narnia. Of course Lucy finds Aslan. Of course Lucy understands. Lucy for the win, you guys. Seriously.
In conclusion: the movie was epic and dark at times and funny and heartwarming and excellent.
Also?
TINY SWORD-WIELDING MOUSE!EDDIE IZZARD!
My, how productive I've been today.
It was so good. I say this as someone who has a lot of affection for the books (A LOT, okay? I am in many ways a product of a quintessentially English childhood, and particularly The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was hugely important to me as a child. I must have read and had it read to me at least 10 times before I even moved back to Denmark). However, I also kind of see them as - not simple, but they are children's books, and for whatever reason - because they are children's books, because C.S.Lewis didn't consider it - the books don't really deal with life after Narnia. And the movie does.
And it does it well, from the first scene of Susan reading a magazine and getting attention from a boy, to Peter's fights and his arrogance, to Lucy and Edmund's acceptance. Edmund's "Well, I am a child," kind of encapsulates this for me. Lucy and Edmund are still children in so many ways, and so their faith hasn't changed. But Peter misses his power, his authority and Susan doesn't know how to cope with herself and how she's changing, and the movies deals with it - even going so far as to have Susan ambivalent about returning to Narnia.
But that comes later, and the first few moments of return to Narnia are so, so glorious. The sun and the sea and the happiness of the Pevensies, it was all perfect, and gleeful and full of joy.
However, I think, for all that, the movie was mostly about loss - about the loss of time, the loss of faith and, at the end, the loss of Narnia for Peter and Susan. Edmund and Lucy didn't feature as heavily as the older two, I think, because they've kept faith. Lucy and Edmund don't despair and because of that, the whole thing is less sad for them (that, and of course, I know they come back for Voyage of the Dawn Treader). Which made for really good character development, which was really what the whole thing was all about for me.
Edmund, particularly, made me happy. Edmund the JUST! I was so happy when he stopped the temptation by the White Witch - the look on his face when he said "I know" just made the entire scene for me. And I like how he trusted Lucy, even when the older two didn't. Also, the reading of the challenge in Miraz's tent was funny and sweet and, Oh Edmund.
I also adored that they kept Edmund and Peter's bond - not just in the sense that Peter and Edmund still squabbled, but also in the sense that Edmund really does look up to Peter, even though Peter is flawed and stupid and a little self-centered in this. I loved the scene during the sword fight when Peter tried to say goodbye and Edmund was having none of it. It's a standard scene, but the way it was played out was excellent - Edmund acknowledging that, for all his brother's faults, he is still a hero in Ed's eyes.
Peter was also well done in this, even if he is a git for most of the film. It was so understandable, and well-played, and his desire for the old days, for authority, never got in the way of his basic characteristic: he was still a big brother, first and foremost.
His rivalry with Caspian was brilliant as well - so similar, stupid boys. Caspian was awesome, as expected, and his accent was oddly hot, which was unexpected. As was the romantic subplot between him and Susan, but on the whole, I liked it. More so for Susan than Caspian, if I'm honest - it fits with my understanding of her growing up and trying to adjust to her new feelings and trying to find something redeeming in this. And I can see her rationalizing her feelings for/reaction to Caspian as her melding growing-up with her Narnian identity.
Except, of course, it doesn't work like that, DOES IT C.S. LEWIS? Which makes me so sad, because Susan has become my favourite character, particularly the way she was treated here, almost not wanting to believe, because it was too painful. And I...I don't get that, of course, that's silly, but I sympathize with her issues with belief and the split between her child-self and her adult-self, as well as her Narnian-self and her English-self. The movie deals with Susan well, showing her questioning in a sympathetic light, even if it runs counter to the message overall (which is: Lucy is awesome and can conjure up lions. What? That was totally what I got).
Finally, of course, Lucy. Lucy is awesome. Lucy was exactly how I wanted Lucy to be - confident and strong and part of Narnia. Of course Lucy finds Aslan. Of course Lucy understands. Lucy for the win, you guys. Seriously.
In conclusion: the movie was epic and dark at times and funny and heartwarming and excellent.
Also?
TINY SWORD-WIELDING MOUSE!EDDIE IZZARD!
My, how productive I've been today.
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(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-27 06:50 pm (UTC)And I like your insights about Susan. I was always disappointed by the bit of reductionism of CS Lewis - but then she liked lipstick instead of Narnia and now she doesn't get to go farther on and further up with us. I always felt it should be more complicated than that, and you've outlined the deeper conflict very well.
In conclusion, Reepicheep FTW forever. Well, and Trumpkin the DLF. ("Used to it? Used to it are they?" I can't wait for that.)
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-29 10:46 am (UTC)I don't know if you read
How could I forget Trumpkin? LOVE!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-02 06:32 pm (UTC)